Sting in the tale

The joint letter from Friends of the Earth and the Scottish Wildlife Trust (“Scotland Bee First”, 8 June) claims that the agricultural aphid insecticides – neonicotinoids – are among the larger factors causing bee declines.

My understanding is that only 1 per cent of agricultural land in Scotland ever used these insecticides, so they are unlikely to be a factor of any significance. Even more so, because present evidence indicates it is unlikely that they have any significant effect on bees in agricultural fields.